"The government made no concessions. The defendants plead straight up to the indictment," said Steven Dettelbach, the US attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The three men plead guilty to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, attempted use of those weapons and malicious use of an explosive device to destroy property used in interstate commerce.

"The bottom line was he wanted to get the least amount of time," said Defense Attorney Terry Gilbert, of his client Connor Stevens.

"You just don't know what a jury is going to do," said John Pyle, who represented Brandon Baxter.

The men known as the Cleveland 5 were arrested with the help of an undercover FBI informant who sold them the fake explosives they used to attempt to blow up the Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge.

Defense attorneys say in a perfect world, they'd call this case entrapment by the FBI, but that's a defense that hasn't worked since 9/11.